US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo on Saturday (local time) hit out at China for "callous exploitation" of George Floyd's death saying that "this laughable propaganda can't fool anyone".
"The Chinese Communist Party's callous exploitation of the tragic death of George Floyd to justify its authoritarian denial of basic human dignity exposes its true colors yet again. As with dictatorships throughout history, no lie is too obscene, so long as it serves the Party's lust for power. This laughable propaganda should not fool anyone," Pompeo said in a statement.
Pompeo said that contrast between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could not be more stark.
"In China, when a church burns, the attack was almost certainly directed by the CCP. In America, when a church burns, the arsonists are punished by the government, and it is the government that brings fire trucks, water, aid, and comfort to the faithful," said Pompeo.
US and China have been at loggerheads with each other on a range of issues in recent times including the coronavirus pandemic and Hong Kong.
The US Secretary of State said: "In China, peaceful protesters from Hong Kong to Tiananmen Square are clubbed by armed militiamen for simply speaking out. Reporters writing of these indignities are sentenced to long terms in prison. In the United States, law enforcement - both state and federal - brings rogue officers to justice, welcomes peaceful protests while forcefully shutting down looting and violence, and exercises power pursuant to the Constitution to protect property and liberty for all. Our free press covers events wall to wall, for all the world to see."
"In China, when doctors and journalists warn of the dangers of a new disease, the CCP silences and disappears them, and lies about death totals and the extent of the outbreak. In the United States, we value life and build transparent systems to treat, cure, and underwrite - more than any other nation - pandemic solutions for the globe," he added.
Pompeo said Beijing in recent days has "showcased its continuing contempt for the truth and scorn for law".
The remarks come as Chinese officials have seized on the US protests as a way of hitting back at Washington for supporting pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019, reported The Hill.
"The CCP's propaganda efforts - seeking to conflate the United States' actions in the wake of the death of George Floyd with the CCP's continued denial of basic human rights and freedom - should be seen for the fraud that they are. During the best of times, the PRC ruthlessly imposes communism. Amid the most difficult challenges, the United States secures freedom," said US Secretary of State.
The death of Floyd on May 25 has sparked a worldwide movement against police brutality, racism and social injustice, as a video showing a white police officer, kneeling on Floyd's neck after the latter had been arrested was widely circulated online on the next day.
( With inputs from ANI )